This is what happens you allow yourself to unlock your dreams: You may just find the darkness that lurks there. Explore the tragic, the romantic, and the comedic side of our darkness in these stories.

Bayaniby Motzie Dapul

In the year 2050, Patrick "Paquino" Aquino: president of the Philippines, former superhero, and murderer—not necessarily in that order—deals with the consequences of his actions following four years of martial law and the raid that ended a bloody political dynasty in the far north.

With a death sentence looming over his head and a revolution rising against him, he begins to wonder if his bid to save the country, made back when he was the impetuous young bayani Lastikid, is worth dying for.

Book ReviewBayani by Motzie Dapul

I first heard of Motzie Dapul’s novel during the #StrangeLit launch party, describing the story as “What would happen if Philippine mythological heroes became politicians?”. I was sold. I had to read Bayani if not for that very same reason. I was intrigued at the premise of Philippines in the year 2050 when the likes of “supers” dabbling in politics, specifically Patrick “Paquino” Aquino, or Lastikid in his former life. There were also familiar names like Bernardo Carpio, Adarna, and Lakampati—all familiar mythological personalities with interesting roles to play in the story. Paquino was depicted as the son of a business tycoon, a privileged individual in his own right, but also a man torn by guilt and remorse about his past. He was the president who, in today’s times, did the right thing as expected of his office. But this is the Philippines, the land where the adage “damn if you do, damn if you don’t” is something that happens in the literal sense. I loved Paquino as a flawed character, and I think his actions were justified by the motivations and personal cross he carried.

Ever since I joined the #StrangeLit workshop and wrote Bloodline Maharlika, I’ve been on a quest to get my hands on every reference book pertaining to Philippine mythology, history, and folklore. Acquiring these books took effort not just on the financial side, but on the logistics aspect as well. I consider myself lucky if I find one in mint condition or wrapped in plastic. I had to actively look for them book stores, but most of the time I’d find them in a dusty, forgotten corner, abandoned and ignored with creased pages and torn covers. Sometimes I’d go out of my way to brick-and-mortar book shops and I’d find rare gems. And there are moments when I’d score the last copy in mainstream book stores.

Book Review

The Mermaid from Siquijor by Justine Camacho-Tajonera

I’m a sucker for stories dealing with Philippine mythology and folklore. There’s so much to explore and talk about in our own myths that I want to constantly look for stories that feed my wonder and interest in this topic. Justine Camacho-Tajonera’s The Mermaid from Siquijor was the perfect read–it was an intriguing story about mermaids/sirena and it had elements of mystery and romance. I was sold!

Caleb desperately needs a fake girlfriend. Either he attends a series of parties for his father’s law firm with a pretty girl on his arm, or he gets shipped off to Yale to start a future he’s not ready for and isn’t sure he wants. And sadly, the last unattached girl in his social circle has just made the grievous mistake of falling in love with him. Fortunately, Didi, recently fired waitress and aspiring painter, is open to new experiences. As the summer ticks by in a whirl of lavish parties, there’s only one rule: They must not fall in love!

I heard about No Love Allowed* back when it was first called Warning! You Might Fall in Love With Me written by the fabulous Kate Evangelista. While I wasn’t able to read the story in its pre-published form, I had every confidence that Kate’s work will be picked up by Swoon Reads at the time she was crowd sourcing this piece for reviews and feedback. Turns out I wasn’t wrong because soon enough, it was soon considered for publication!

I’ve read all of Kate’s previous books from other publishers and what made each novel a worthwhile read was the fluid prose. It was so easy to get into the minds of the characters and feel whatever they’re feeling, even easier to read the entire book in one sitting. While I loved Kate’s paranormal stories, her contemporary novels are also something of note. Reading No Love Allowed made me live vicariously through the characters, and made me fall in love with the picturesque Dodge Cove.

A lot has happened since the turn of the new year and yes, I have been lazy af to get you all up to speed. But first, thank you to those who’ve joined my New Year giveaway. I’ll be having more this year, so I hope you continue to watch this space for updates and other things.

So…to the business at hand.

I haven’t mentioned it in this blog (or during the time I was still using Blogger), but I also dabbled into book blogging in Will Read for Feels last year. I wanted to keep my work as a blogger and an author separate, hence I didn’t talk about that side activity in this space. The people who know me (aka my writer friends) are aware that I also read and review books, and it has been an awesome year. I learned a lot about my preferences as a reader, my limits (I barely made the half-mark goal I set for 100 books last year), and of course I also met and discovered great authors who are pretty much on my auto-buy list.